5 Things We Love

ASSOCIATED PRESSU.S. national soccer midfielders Benny Feilhaber, lower left, and Landon Donovan, lower right, lead the team in a drill during training.

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COURTESY OF NILMA HUNTER

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1. App attacks your biz card library

The computer never did free us from labor as promised, but apps are another story. Many are time wasters, but others boost efficiency. WorldCard Mobile for iPhone is one of the good ones, liberating us from the detritus of hundreds of loose business cards. It scans cards and delivers all the information to your phone book. No typing necessary. The free version will let you scan only three cards at once, then one card a week thereafter. If you like it, the pay version is $5.99.

— Nadine Kam

2. Golden grass earrings from Brazil

The metallic shine caught my eye, but what drew me in were the natural fibers of these earrings, crafted from something called golden grass, a recurring weed in Toeantims, Brazil. The golden hue isn’t at all enhanced, and because of its unique quality, the grass is the main source of income for the local population, which crafts baskets, hats, shoes and jewelry from the natural material. Locally, Brazil native Nilma Hunter sells jewelry she creates herself from components imported from home. The golden grass earrings, light as a feather, are sold at craft fairs ($18 to $24). E-mail Hunter at nipeli@hotmail.com.

— Joleen Oshiro

3. ‘Where you grad?’

Classic slang such as "hemajang," "junkalunka" and that schoolyard fave "ahanakokolele" are brightly scribbled on the newest version of Foodland’s reusable tote ($1.99 for Maika’i members) and matching stainless steel water bottle ($9.99). Fill with local goodies and send to your college kid and island ex-pats on the mainland. "Garans ballbarans" it’ll be a hit.

— Christie Wilson

4. World Cup soccer — Go USA!

We call it soccer, the world calls it football, but come tomorrow morning, when the U.S. men’s national team opens its 2010 World Cup campaign against England, it might be war. The Americans are out to prove they can play with the best, but England has a roster with some of the top players on the planet. Expect a physical game when ABC broadcasts the opener live from Rustenburg, South Africa, starting at 7:30 a.m.

— Mike Gordon

5. ‘Billionaire’ by Travie McCoy featuring Bruno Mars

First it was B.o.B’s "beautiful girls," now local boy Bruno Mars continues to woo the honeys in another collaboration, this time on the Gym Class Heroes frontman’s debut solo single. F-bomb not withstanding, Mars continues to croon with heart-on-sleeve intent. In fact, it’s the added expletive that shows how much Mars cares. Really. Love and money are not mutually exclusive. It’s an honest sentiment, but don’t let Mom and Dad listen to this. Parents just don’t understand.

— Gary Chun

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